Adults were impressed by the overall luxury and touches like the soft-closing console lids, the solid thunk of the doors, and the straightforward layout of the many controls and switches. "Kudos to Lexus for not trying to 'clean up' the dashboard with some multimedia controller," said one. "You cannot fault the execution or the ergonomics," agreed executive editor Joe DeMatio, "but the Lexus interior decor theme is getting a little tired." Indeed, when the brand debuted, Lexus redefined what a high-quality interior should look like. Much of the industry now hews to that template. But the design of the LS interior has barely budged in nearly two decades, whereas its German competitors have moved confidently forward.
The exterior design also seems stuck in a rut. "There ought to be something about a design that gives it more individuality, more character, and more desirability than the LS460 can muster," wrote design editor Robert Cumberford. Large and imposing as the new long-wheelbase Lexus might be, as production manager Al Luckwald opined, "It just doesn't have the street presence that says, 'I'm driving an $86,000 car.' " Of course, some were able to find the upside in that situation: "The LS460L was completely unfazed at 130 mph - and so was the cop I flew past," West Coast editor Jason Cammisa penned in the logbook. "It's a good thing the styling is so innocuous, or I'd have been put in jail."
If the design is comfortably familiar, so, too, is the driving experience. "There's that distinct soft Lexus edge to all the dynamic reactions," said DeMatio. Or, as technical editor Don Sherman characterized it: "The filtration is comprehensive." "But that isolation is exactly what buyers will expect," countered Cammisa. He's probably correct. Lexus does try to expand the car's dynamic envelope by offering an optional air suspension, which has three firmness settings. But as is often the case with this solution, there's no ideal position. The comfort mode delivers a plush ride but can't match the body control of a Mercedes-Benz S-class. Switch to sport, and you get impact harshness over big bumps. Even with the air suspension, "the LS has nothing over the now-aging BMW 7-series in terms of steering feel, wheel control, or in its ability to provide a ride that is comfortable yet tied down," offered road test editor Marc Noordeloos. And as in the Lexus GS430, the electronically activated brakes were panned for being touchy and nonlinear.
None of these faults detracted from the LS460L's excellence as a cross-country device. "It was the perfect companion for my 1200-mile weekend trip," said copy editor Rusty Blackwell. And DeMatio took advantage of the Lexus to make a 550-mile round trip to Michigan's Leelanau peninsula - in one day. "Fourteen hours there and back - the Lexus was the perfect car for such an excursion."
That's exactly the kind of thing you expect from the LS. So is impeccable reliability, which our car delivered over some 30,000 miles. "It fills its intended purpose really well," said Cammisa. Noordeloos summed up: "The LS460 is, by far, the best Lexus of the range. It accomplishes just what it set out to do - be a big, comfortable luxury car." Call us optimists, but we think it could even be a little bit more.
Genealogy
1989
The LS400, together with the ES250, launches the Lexus division in September. The ES250 is a warmed-over Toyota Camry, but the LS400 is an entirely new car and quickly becomes the poster child for the new marque. At $35,000, the LS400 undercuts mid-size Mercedes-Benz and BMW models in price, even though the Lexus is closer in size to an S-class or a 7-series.
1994
A completely and yet almost undetectably new LS400 debuts as a '95 model.
2000
The third-generation, 2001 LS takes the name LS430, reflecting its 4.3-liter V-8. Adaptive cruise control, heated and cooled seats, and a Mark Levinson audio system appear on the options list. That same year, Lexus overtakes Mercedes-Benz to become the best-selling luxury-car brand in America.
2006
The fourth new LS, powered by a 4.6-liter V-8, goes on sale in October as the LS460 and the LS460L. The LS600hL hybrid follows in July 2007.